Antiemetic Administration and Its Association with Race: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Anesthesiologists' contribution to perioperative healthcare disparities remains unclear because patient and surgeon preferences can influence care choices. Postoperative nausea and vomiting is a patient- centered outcome measure and a main driver of unplanned admissions. Antiemetic administration is under the sole domain of anesthesiologists. In a U.S. sample, Medicaid insured versus commercially insured patients and those with lower versus higher median income had reduced antiemetic administration, but not all risk factors were controlled for. This study examined whether a patient's race is associated with perioperative antiemetic administration and hypothesized that Black versus White race is associated with reduced receipt of antiemetics. METHODS: An analysis was performed of 2004 to 2018 Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group data. The primary outcome of interest was administration of either ondansetron or dexamethasone; secondary outcomes were administration of each drug individually or both drugs together. The confounder-adjusted analysis included relevant patient demographics (Apfel postoperative nausea and vomiting risk factors: sex, smoking history, postoperative nausea and vomiting or motion sickness history, and postoperative opioid use; as well as age) and included institutions as random effects. RESULTS: The Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group data contained 5.1 million anesthetic cases from 39 institutions located in the United States and The Netherlands. Multivariable regression demonstrates that Black patients were less likely to receive antiemetic administration with either ondansetron or dexamethasone than White patients (290,208 of 496,456 [58.5%] vs. 2.24 million of 3.49 million [64.1%]; adjusted odds ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.82; P < 0.001). Black as compared to White patients were less likely to receive any dexamethasone (140,642 of 496,456 [28.3%] vs. 1.29 million of 3.49 million [37.0%]; adjusted odds ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.77 to 0.78; P < 0.001), any ondansetron (262,086 of 496,456 [52.8%] vs. 1.96 million of 3.49 million [56.1%]; adjusted odds ratio, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.84 to 0.85; P < 0.001), and dexamethasone and ondansetron together (112,520 of 496,456 [22.7%] vs. 1.0 million of 3.49 million [28.9%]; adjusted odds ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.77 to 0.79; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In a perioperative registry data set, Black versus White patient race was associated with less antiemetic administration, after controlling for all accepted postoperative nausea and vomiting risk factors.

The eXpectations of Parents regarding Anesthesiology Study (XPAS) from a parental perspective: a two-phase observational cross-sectional cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Uncertainty concerning anesthetic procedures and risks in children requiring anesthesia may cause concerns in parents and caregivers. AIMS: To explore parental expectations and experiences regarding their child's anesthesia using questionnaires designed with parental input. METHODS: This observational cross-sectional cohort study included parents (including caregivers) of children undergoing anesthesia in a tertiary pediatric referral university hospital. The study consisted of two phases. In Phase 1, we developed three questionnaires with parental involvement through a focus group discussion and individual interviews. The questionnaires focused on parental satisfaction, knowledge, concerns, and need for preparation regarding their child's anesthesia. In Phase 2, independent samples of parents completed the questionnaires at three time points: before the preanesthesia assessment (T1), 2 days after the preanesthesia assessment (T2), and 4 days after the anesthetic procedure (T3). RESULTS: In Phase 1, 22 parents were involved in the development of the questionnaires. The three questionnaires contained 43 questions in total, of which 10 had been proposed by parents. In Phase 2, 78% (474 out of 934) parents participated at T1, 36% (610 out of 1705), at T2 and 34% (546 out of 1622) at T3. Parental satisfaction scores were rated on a visual analogue scale for the preanesthesia assessment with a median of 87/100, and with a median of 90/100 for the anesthetic procedure (0: not satisfied and 100: satisfied). Parental concerns were rated with a median of 50/100 (0: no concerns and 100: extremely concerned). Parental answers from the questionnaire at T2 revealed significant knowledge deficits, with only 73% reporting that the anesthesiologist was a physician. Parents preferred to receive more information about the procedure, especially regarding the intended effects and side effects of anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, parental satisfaction scores regarding the pediatric anesthesiology procedure were high, with a minority expressing concerns. Parents indicated a preference for their child's anesthesiologist to visit them both before and after the anesthetic procedure. Parental expectations regarding anesthesia did not completely correspond with the information provided; more information from the clinician about the intended effects and side effects of anesthesia was desired.

Perioperative Mortality in Pediatric Patients: A Systematic Review of Risk Assessment Tools for Use in the Preoperative Setting.

BACKGROUND: There are multiple preoperative risk scores for pediatric mortality. The aim of this study was to systematically describe and compare the existing studies of patient-specific multispecialty risk prediction scores for perioperative mortality in pediatric populations, with the goal of guiding clinicians on which may be most appropriate for use in the preoperative setting. METHODS: This study is a systematic literature review of published journal articles that presented the development, extension/updating, and/or validation of a risk core that predicted all-cause mortality (up to 30 days postoperatively) in pediatric patients undergoing a procedure in which anesthesia was used. Scores needed to be applicable to surgeries in more than one noncardiac surgical specialty and had to be able to be calculated by the anesthesiologist at the time of the preanesthetic assessment. Two investigators independently screened studies for inclusion and assessed study quality in the domains of clinical applicability, feasibility/ease of use in the clinical setting, and risk of bias. RESULTS: A total of 1,681 titles were retrieved. Of these, 10 studies met inclusion criteria: 9 reported the development and validation of scores, and 1 was an external validation of an existing score. Seven studies used varying years of multicenter data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric Participant Use File for development and/or validation. The unadjusted rate of mortality in the studies ranged from 0.3 to 3.6%. The preoperative predictors of mortality used in score development included patient demographics, preoperative therapies, and chronic conditions, among others. All models showed good discrimination upon validation (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve greater than 0.8). Most risk scores had high or unclear risks of bias. CONCLUSIONS: There are numerous scores available for the prediction of mortality in pediatric populations, all of which exhibited good performance. However, many have high or unclear risks of bias, and most have not undergone external validation.

Sex Differences in In-Hospital Mortality After Open Cardiac Valve Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac valvular disease affects millions of people worldwide and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Female patients have been shown to experience inferior clinical outcomes after nonvalvular cardiac surgery, but recent data are limited regarding open valve surgical cohorts. The primary objective of our study was to assess whether female sex is associated with increased in-hospital mortality after open cardiac valve operations. METHODS: Utilizing the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases (SID), we conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent open cardiac valve surgery from 2007 to 2018 in Washington, Maryland, Kentucky, and Florida; from 2007 to 2011 in California; and from 2007 to 2016 in New York. The primary objective of this study was to estimate the confounder-adjusted association between sex and in-hospital mortality (as recorded and coded by SID HCUP) after open cardiac valve surgery. We used multilevel multivariable models to account for potential confounders, including intrahospital practice patterns. RESULTS: A total of 272,954 patients (108,443 women; 39.73% of sample population with mean age of 67.6 ± 14.3 years) were included in our analysis. The overall mortality rates were 3.8% for male patients and 5.1% for female patients. The confounder-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for in-hospital mortality for female patients compared to male patients was 1.41 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35-1.47; P < .001). When stratifying by surgical type, female patients were also at increased odds of in-hospital mortality ( P < .001) in populations undergoing aortic valve replacement (adjusted OR [aOR], 1.38; 95% CI, 1.25-1.52); multiple valve surgery (aOR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.22-1.57); mitral valve replacement (aOR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.12 - 1.34); and valve surgery with coronary artery bypass grafting (aOR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.54 - 1.74; all P < .001). Female patients did not have increased odds of in-hospital mortality in populations undergoing mitral valve repair (aOR, 1.26; 95% CI, 0.98 - 1.64; P = .075); aortic valve repair (aOR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.67 - 1.14; P = .32); or any other single valve repair (aOR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.82 - 1.46; P = .53). CONCLUSIONS: We found an association between female patients and increased confounder-adjusted odds of in-hospital mortality after open cardiac valve surgery. More research is needed to better understand and categorize these important outcome differences. Future research should include observational analysis containing granular and complete patient- and surgery-specific data.

Patient care in rapid-expansion intensive care units during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the unfortunate reality that many hospitals have insufficient intensive care unit (ICU) capacity to meet massive, unanticipated increases in demand. To drastically increase ICU capacity, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center modified its existing operating rooms and post-anaesthesia care units during the initial expansion phase to accommodate the surge of critically ill patients. METHODS: This retrospective chart review examined patient care in non-standard Expansion ICUs as compared to standard ICUs. We compared clinical data between the two settings to determine whether the expeditious development and deployment of critical care resources during an evolving medical crisis could provide appropriate care. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients were admitted to Expansion ICUs from March 1st to April 30th, 2020 and 343 were admitted to standard ICUs. Most patients were male (70%), White (30%), 45-64 years old (35%), non-smokers (73%), had hypertension (58%), and were hospitalized for a median of 40 days. For patients that died, there was no difference in treatment management, but the Expansion cohort had a higher median ICU length of stay (q = 0.037) and ventilatory length (q = 0.015). The cohorts had similar rates of discharge to home, but the Expansion ICU cohort had higher rates of discharge to a rehabilitation facility and overall lower mortality. CONCLUSIONS: We found no significantly worse outcomes for the Expansion ICU cohort compared to the standard ICU cohort at our institution during the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrates the feasibility of providing safe and effective care for patients in an Expansion ICU.

Disparities in Obstetric Readmissions: A Multistate Analysis, 2007-2014.

OBJECTIVE: Hospital readmissions are generally higher among racial-ethnic minorities and patients of lower socioeconomic status. However, this has not been widely studied in obstetrics. The aim of the study is to determine 30-day postpartum readmission rates by patient-level social determinants of health: race ethnicity, primary insurance payer, and median income, independently and as effect modifiers. STUDY DESIGN: Using state inpatient databases from the health care cost and utilization project from 2007 to 2014, we queried all deliveries. To produce accurate estimates of the effects of parturients' social determinants of health on readmission odds while controlling for confounders, generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were used. Additional models were generated with interaction terms to highlight any associations and their effect on the outcome. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals are reported. RESULTS: There were 5,129,867 deliveries with 79,260 (1.5%) 30-day readmissions. Of these, 947 (1.2%) were missing race ethnicity. Black and Hispanic patients were more likely to be readmitted within 30 days of delivery, as compared with White patients (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). Patients with government insurance were more likely to be readmitted than those with private insurance (p < 0.001). Patients living in the second quartile of median income were also more likely to be readmitted than those living in other quartiles (p < 0.05). Using GLMMs, we observed that Black patients with Medicare were significantly more likely to get readmitted as compared with White patients with private insurance (aOR 2.78, 95% CI 2.50-3.09, p < 0.001). Similarly, Black patients living in the fourth (richest) quartile of median income were more likely to get readmitted, even when compared with White patients living in the first (poorest) quartile of median income (aOR 1.48, 95% CI 1.40-1.57, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Significant racial-ethnic disparities in obstetric readmissions were observed, particularly in Black patients with government insurance and even in Black patients living in the richest quartile of median income. KEY POINTS: · Using generalized linear mixed models, we observed significant interactions.. · Government-insured Black patients were 2.78X more likely to be readmitted.. · The wealthiest Black patients were still 1.48X more likely to be readmitted..

Hospital Safety-Net Burden Is Associated With Increased Inpatient Mortality and Perioperative Complications After Colectomy.

BACKGROUND: Colectomies are common yet costly, with high surgical-site infection rates. Safety-net hospitals (SNHs) carry a large proportion of uninsured or Medicaid-insured patients, which has been associated with poorer surgical outcomes. Few studies have examined the effect of safety-net burden (SNB) status on colectomy outcomes. We aimed to quantify the independent effects of hospital SNB and surgical site infection (SSI) status on colectomy outcomes, as well as the interaction effect between SSIs and SNB. METHODS: We used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's State Inpatient Databases for California, Florida, New York, Maryland, and Kentucky. We included 459,568 colectomies (2009 to 2014) for analysis, excluding patients age <18 y and rectal cases. The primary and secondary outcomes were inpatient mortality and complications, respectively. RESULTS: Adjusting for patient, procedure, and hospital factors, colectomy patients were more likely to die in-hospital at high-burden SNHs (adjusted OR [aOR]: 1.38, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25-1.51, P < 0.001), compared with low SNB hospitals and to experience perioperative complications (aOR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.04-1.20, P < 0.01). Colectomy patients with SSIs also had greater odds of in-hospital mortality (aOR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.83-2.02, P < 0.001) and complications (aOR: 3.65, 95% CI: 3.55-3.75, P < 0.001) compared with those without infections. Patients treated at SNHs who developed a SSI were even more likely to have an additional perioperative complication (aOR: 4.33, 95% CI: 3.98-4.71, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that colectomy patients at SNHs have poorer outcomes, and for patients with SSIs, this disparity was even more pronounced in the likelihood for a complication. SNB should be recognized as a significant hospital-level factor affecting colectomy outcomes, with SSIs as an important quality metric.

Genetic testing preferences in families containing multiple individuals with epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: To examine genetic testing preferences in families containing multiple individuals with epilepsy. METHODS: One hundred forty-three individuals with epilepsy and 165 biologic relatives without epilepsy from families containing multiple affected individuals were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. Four genetic testing scenarios were presented, defined by penetrance (100% vs. 50%) and presence or absence of clinical utility. Potential predictors of genetic testing preferences were evaluated using generalized estimating equations with robust Poisson regression models. The influence of 21 potential testing motivations was also assessed. RESULTS: For the scenario with 100% penetrance and clinical utility, 85% of individuals with epilepsy and 74% of unaffected relatives responded that they would definitely or probably want genetic testing. For the scenario with 100% penetrance but without clinical utility, the proportions who responded that they would want testing were significantly lower in both affected individuals (69%) and unaffected relatives (57%). Penetrance (100% vs. 50%) was not a significant predictor of genetic testing interest. The highest-ranking motivations for genetic testing were the following: the possibility that the results could improve health or health care, the potential to know if epilepsy in the family is caused by a gene, and the possibility of changing behavior or lifestyle to prevent seizures. SIGNIFICANCE: Interest in epilepsy genetic testing may be high in affected and unaffected individuals in families containing multiple individuals with epilepsy, especially when testing has implications for improving clinical care.

Patient- and Hospital- Level Disparities in Severe Maternal Morbidity: a Retrospective Multistate Analysis, 2015-2020.

The rate of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) in the United States (US) rose roughly 9% among all insured racial/ethnic groups between 2018 and 2020, disproportionately affecting racial and ethnic minority populations. Limited research on hospital-level factors and SMM found that even after adjusting for patient-level factors, women of all races delivering in high Black-serving delivery units had higher odds of SMM. Our retrospective cohort study augments the current understanding of multi-level racial/ethnic disparities in SMM by analyzing patient- and hospital- level factors using multistate data from 2015 to 2020. Because rises in SMM have been driven in part by an increase in blood transfusions, multivariable logistic regression models were employed to estimate the impact of patient- and hospital-level factors on the adjusted odds of experiencing any SMM, with and without blood transfusions, as well as blood transfusions alone. Our cohort consisted of 3,497,233 deliveries: 56,885 (1.63%) with any SMM, 16,070 (0.46%) with SMM excluding blood transfusion, and 45,468 (1.30%) with blood transfusions alone. We found that Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, and delivering at Black-serving delivery-units, both independently and interactively, increase the odds of any SMM with or without blood transfusions. Our findings illustrate the persistence of structural- and individual- level racial and ethnic disparities in maternal outcomes over time and emphasize the need for multi-level public policies to address racial/ethnic disparities in maternal healthcare.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Delivery In-Hospital Mortality or Maternal End-Organ Injury: A Multistate Analysis, 2007-2020.

Background: In the United States, Black maternal mortality is 2-4 × higher than that of White maternal mortality, with differences also present in severe maternal morbidity and other measures. However, limited research has comprehensively studied multilevel social determinants of health, and their confounding and effect modification on obstetrical outcomes. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective multistate analysis of adult inpatient delivery hospitalizations (Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Washington) between 2007 and 2020. Multilevel multivariable models were used to test the confounder-adjusted association for race/ethnicity and the binary outcomes (1) in-hospital mortality or maternal end-organ injury and (2) in-hospital mortality only. Stratified analyses were performed to test effect modification. Results: The confounder-adjusted odds ratio showed that Black (1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.30-1.36) and Hispanic (1.14, 95% CI: 1.11-1.18) as compared with White patients were more likely to die in-hospital or experience maternal end-organ injury. For Black and Hispanic patients, stratified analysis showed that findings remained significant in almost all homogeneous strata. After statistical adjustment, Black as compared with White patients were more likely to die in-hospital (1.49, 95% CI: 1.21-1.82). Conclusions: Black and Hispanic patients had higher adjusted odds of in-patient mortality and end-organ damage after birth than White patients. Race and ethnicity serve as strong predictors of health care inequality, and differences in outcomes may reflect broader structural racism and individual implicit bias. Proposed solutions require immense and multifaceted active efforts to restructure how obstetrical care is provided on the societal, hospital, and patient level.

Predictive Value of Emergency Designation on Outcomes of Moribund Patients.

BACKGROUND: Anesthesiologists are increasingly encountering sicker patients that require potentially life-saving surgical interventions, and assess risk using the American Society of Anesthesiology Physical Status (ASA PS) classification system. Here, we examined long-term mortality along with hospital length of stay (LoS) and discharge disposition for survivors in ASA PS 5 and 5E patients. METHODS: Adult surgeries were extracted from New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center's Electronic Medical Record (EMR) for cases between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2017; outcomes were collected from EMRs and the Social Security Death Index Master File. RESULTS: 194,947 cases were identified. Mortality correlated with increasing ASA PS; the same trend was observed within both emergent and non-emergent sub-populations. Two hundred seventy-six cases were identified as 5/5E. This patient population had a higher rate of mortality at 30 days than at 48 hours (25.9% vs. 13.4%, respectively, p < 0.01); there was no difference between survivor functions at 30 or 90 days (p = 0.63, p = 0.09, respectively). Survivors within the 5 or 5E subpopulations did not have significantly different LoSs. Further, survivors after 90 days typically had a disposition of hospice, long-term facilities, inpatient rehabilitation, or self-discharged. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality increases with increases in ASA PS classifications. There is no difference in outcomes for 5 vs 5E at 30- or 90-day postoperatively. Similarly, emergency status did not play a role in LoS. Most 5 or 5E patients are not discharged home but to another facility. These outcomes should be considered during the informed consent process in this high-risk surgical population.

Postoperative outcomes and anesthesia type in total knee arthroplasty in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Aim: We investigated the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), 30/90-day readmission rates and perioperative complications (postoperative cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infectious or intraoperative complications) in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Materials & methods: We analyzed records of patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty using State Inpatient Databases. Demographics, comorbidities, 30/90-day readmission rates and complications were compared by OSA status. For NY, USA we analyzed outcomes by anesthetic type (regional vs general). Results: OSA patients were mostly male, had more comorbidities and had increased 30/90-day readmission rates. There were no differences in complications. In NY, there were no differences in outcomes by anesthetic type. Conclusion: OSA was associated with increased 30/90-day readmission rates. Within NY, anesthetic type was not associated with any outcomes.

By analyzing records of patients who underwent total knee replacement, we investigated the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), rates of readmission to the hospital at 30 and 90 days after surgery and perioperative complications (postoperative cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infectious or intraoperative complication). In the NY, USA population, we analyzed outcomes based on anesthetic type (regional vs general anesthesia). We found that OSA patients were mostly male, had more medical conditions and had increased rates of 30 and 90-day readmission. There were no differences in complications. In NY, there were no differences in outcomes by anesthetic type. In conclusion, OSA was associated with increased rates of readmission to the hospital at 30 and 90 days after surgery. Within NYS, anesthetic type was not associated with any outcomes.

Core temperature monitoring during cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia: a quality improvement descriptive study.

Aim: To analyze intraoperative temperature change over time following spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery using temperature enabled Foley catheters. Materials & methods: 512 records of women who underwent scheduled cesarean deliveries were retrospectively identified from January 1, 2018 through September 9, 2018 using our anesthesia information management system. Results: Median minimum temperature at min 1 following foley insertion was 35.24°C (interquartile range: 1.43), with an average of 12 minutes until temperature equilibration at median maximum temperature of 36.54°C (interquartile range 0.39). Temperature dropped to a nadir of 35.9°C at the 45 min mark, reflecting an average 0.64°C decline in temperature. Conclusion: Bladder temperature is a useful surrogate for core temperature and offers a practical solution to continuous temperature monitoring in awake patients.

Post-operative outcomes and anesthesia type in total hip arthroplasty in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: A retrospective analysis of the State Inpatient Databases.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To investigate postoperative outcomes following total hip arthroplasty (THA) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). To evaluate trends in the use of regional anesthesia (RA) versus general anesthesia (GA) following the publication of practical guidelines. To compare postoperative outcomes according to anesthesia type. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SETTING: Operating room. PATIENTS: 349,008 patients who underwent elective THA in Florida, New York, Maryland, and Kentucky between 2007 and 2014 were extracted from the State Inpatient Databases (SID), Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, including 18,063 patients with OSA (5.2%). INTERVENTIONS: No intervention. MEASUREMENTS: The effect of OSA on postoperative outcomes was investigated using bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression models. Outcomes studied included in-hospital mortality, postoperative complications, length of stay (LOS), and post-discharge readmissions. In a population from New York only, (n = 105,838 with 5306 patients with OSA [5.0%]), we investigated the outcomes in the OSA population according to the anesthesia type. Analysis was performed overall and for each individual year. MAIN RESULTS: The OSA prevalence increased from 1.7% in 2007 to 7.1% in 2014. In multivariable analysis, there was no effect of OSA on in-hospital mortality (aOR:0.57; 0.31-1.04). Postoperative complications, LOS, and readmission rates were all higher in patients with OSA. In patients with OSA receiving GA than those receiving RA, we found a higher rate of complications overall and pulmonary complications specifically in men and higher rate of 90-day readmission in women. Over the study period, the rate of GA use in patients with OSA increased. CONCLUSIONS: The OSA prevalence in patients undergoing THA increased fourfold over the study period. OSA was associated with increased overall postoperative complications, LOS, and readmission, but not with in-hospital mortality. Despite the publication of guidelines favoring RA over GA, the use of GA increased over the study period.

Validity of comorbidity adjustment scores in estimating in-hospital mortality in individual subgroups of race/ethnicity.

Aim: To examine the validity of race/ethnicity-specific comorbidity adjustment scores in estimating in-hospital mortality. Materials & methods: Using 2007-2014 data from the State Inpatient Databases (SID), we compared the performance of derived race/ethnicity-specific composite scores to the existing scores and binary Elixhauser comorbidity measures at estimating in-hospital mortality. Results: In the overall validation sample (N = 9,564,277), our index (c = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.79-0.80) discriminated better than the van Walraven score (c = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.79-0.79), SID 29 (c = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.78-0.79) and SID 30 (c = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.78-0.78), but was not superior to the binary indicators (c = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.80-0.80). Similar findings were observed in individual populations of White and Black patients. All models showed weak calibration. Conclusion: Race/ethnicity-specific indexes discriminated slightly better than existing composite measures at modeling in-hospital mortality in individual subgroups of race/ethnicity.

Adoption of video laryngoscopy by a major academic anesthesia department.

Aim: To describe the adoption patterns of intubating devices used at a major teaching and research facility. Materials & methods: Retrospective analysis of 2012-2019 data on frequency and trends in airway management devices collected from our anesthesia information management system. Results: Use of direct laryngoscopy was more frequent, but there was a downward trend in use over time (p < 0.008) in favor of video laryngoscopy (VL), which increased significantly (p < 0.008). The largest growth among devices was the McGrath VL, which increased from 0.2% in 2012 to 36.2% of cases in 2019. Conclusion: Our study shows a clear increase in VL usage which has implications in quality of care and medical education.

Racial and ethnic disparities in severe maternal morbidity and anesthetic techniques for obstetric deliveries: A multi-state analysis, 2007-2014.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate racial and ethnic disparities in severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and administered anesthesia techniques. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Administrative database study using 2007-2014 data from California, Florida, New York, Maryland, and Kentucky from the State Inpatient Databases (SID), Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). PATIENTS: 6,879,332 parturients aged ≥18 years old who underwent deliveries were identified by International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes: V27.0 and V27.1 for singleton deliveries, and V27.2 through V27.8 for multiple births. INTERVENTIONS: Patients who had a singleton or multiple delivery. MEASUREMENTS: Patients were cohorted by race/ethnicity: white (reference category), black, Hispanic, other, or missing. Demographic characteristics and comorbidities were compared. Adjusted odds ratios with generalized linear mixed modeling were calculated for SMM. We also conducted additional exploratory analyses of racial/ethnic disparities in the anesthesia technique used for cesarean deliveries, as well as the use of analgesia in vaginal deliveries. MAIN RESULTS: When controlling for patient demographics, comorbidities, and hospital characteristics, black women were more likely than white women to experience any SMM (adjusted odds ratio: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.35-1.41). This finding was consistent in stratified analyses. Black women were also more likely than white women to receive general anesthesia for cesarean delivery (aOR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.39-1.49) and to receive no analgesia for vaginal delivery (aOR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.43-1.47). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the differences in outcomes and care for black as compared to white parturients related to SMM and administered anesthesia techniques.